Lake
Baikal - the jewel of Siberia and a World Heritage
Site - is the deepest lake in the world, holding
one-fifth of the planet's freshwater. This enormous
abyss extends like a long, deep gash in the Earth's
crust filled with water from hundreds of pure
rivers and streams, flowing from a rim of lofty
mountains, rocky cliffs, and rolling hills.
Baikalo-Lensky Zapovednik, in the Irkutsk Oblast,
guards the northwestern rim of Lake Baikal.
Habitats, ranging from coastal lakes to boreal
forests and alpine meadows, provide refuge for
bears, reindeer, musk deer, as well as many endemic
plants and animals, such as the Baikal seal. One of
the great Russian rivers, the Lena, which extends
more than 4000 km North to the Arctic Ocean, begins
as a tiny trickle in the mountains of this nature
reserve.

Animals from a range of biomes - boreal, steppe,
and alpine - mingle in the mountains near Lake
Baikal. Scientists have identified 49 species of
mammals, including 11 predatory species and 16
kinds of rodents. Red squirrels (Sciurus
vulgaris) and Siberian chipmunks (Tamias
sibiricus) franticly scuttle about gathering
pine nuts to store for the winter. Long-tailed
Siberian sousliks (Citellus undulatus) dart
in and out of holes in the arid steppe.
Black-capped marmots (Marmota camtschatica)
bask in the sun on rocks in the high mountains.
Mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and Northern
pika (Ochotona hyperborea) forage on
grasses, staying alert to avoid predation by lynx
(Felix lynx), wolverine (Gulo gulo),
or wolf (Canis lupis).

Brown bears (Ursus arctos) descend in
numbers from the mountains in the spring to the
Baikal shore, also known as the "Brown Bear Coast."
Having recently emerged from their dens, the hungry
bears gather to feed on caddis flies
(Trichoptera) that hatch by the thousands,
covering the rocks on the coast in a flutter of
newly-found wings. The Barguzin sable (Martes
zibelllina) eats just about anything it can
catch, mainly small rodents, but the small predator
also likes to nibble on berries. The sable's
luxurious fur was the reason behind its near
extinction at the beginning of the 20th century,
but the resilient creature has bounced back to
become the most abundant predator in the zapovednik
today. River otters (Lutra lutra), rare in
Siberia, frolick in the streams and lakes around
Baikal. Siberian wapiti (Cervus elaphus
sibirica) overwinter in the reserve in small
herds, while Siberian roe deer (Capreolus
pygargus) graze along the Baikal coast year
round. Wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
graze on lichens and grasses in the high mountains
in summertime.

The origin of the Baikal seal (Phoca
sibirica) is one of the great mysteries of
Siberia. A land-locked seal and an endemic of
Baikal, its ancestors probably swam up the Yenesei
River from the Arctic Ocean during the last iceage.
Baikal seals can dive more than 100 meters into the
dark waters of Baikal in search of fish, later
climbing onto rocks to warm themselves in the
sun.

Sixty percent of Baikal's bird life (240 species)
is represented in Baikalo-Lensky Zapovednik. One of
the most noticeable birds in the forests around
Baikal is the spotted nutcracker (Nucifraga
caryocatactes). The small brown bird with white
specks flutters from pine tree to pine tree,
gathering pine nuts in a small sack in its beak,
then hiding them under moss and grass in the
forest. Abandoned seed stashes sprout the following
spring, sometimes several kilometers from their
source, bringing new generations of trees to life.
Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), northern
hazelhen (Tetrastes bonasia), and Northern
black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) share the
coniferous forest with the nutcracker year round.
Willow and rock ptarmigans (Lagopus lagopus, L.
mutus) nest in thickets and mossy swamps in the
mountains, along with solitary snipe (Gallinago
solitaria). Eurasian dippers (Cinclus
cinclus) run along the bottom of mountain
streams, feeding on small invertebrates. Black
stork (Ciconia nigra), white-tailed eagle
(Haliaeetus albicilla), white-winged scooter
(Melanitta fusca), ruddy shelduck
(Tadorna ferruginea), and osprey (Pandion
haliaëtus) are some of the rare birds
granted protection in the zapovednik. Several
steppe species inhabit the Baikal shore, including
saker falcon (Falco cherrug), Siberian
meadow and rock buntings (Emberiza cioides, E.
cia), and Isabelline wheateater (Oenanthe
isabellina).

Dark coniferous taiga forests conceal the
western slopes and foothills of the Baikal Range,
made up of Siberian fir (Abies sibirica),
Siberian spruce (Picea obovata), Siberian or
"cedar" pine (Pinus sibirica), and Siberian
larch (Larix sibirica). The Eastern slopes
of the mountains are covered with lighter-colored
Siberian pine and larch forests. Birch
(Betula spp.) and aspen (Populus
tremula) take over areas where fires or other
disturbances have occurred. Dwarf forms of birch
(Betula divaricata) and mountain pine
(Pinus pumila) hover bush-like over boggy
terrain in the highlands. Poplar (Populus
spp.) groves brim over river valleys. Meadows and
swamps are interspersed throughout the forest and
alpine areas. Remnants of prairie-like steppe
stretch along the Baikal coast in the southern part
of the zapovednik on the Ryty, Anyutkhe, and
Shartla capes. Further North, steppe is replaced
with larch forests, which in turn are taken over by
taiga forests mixed with Siberian pine. In autumn,
deciduous trees on the slopes near Baikal turn a
fiery red and yellow, with conifers staying forever
emerald. Cowberries (Vaccinium vitus-idaea)
turn ruby red in fall, bursting with bittersweet
juices sought after by birds, bears, and other
animals.

In the mountains, trees become sparse higher than
900 m above sea level. Dwarf mountain pine climbs
slopes in a thick mat above 1800 m. High mountain
meadows give way to rocky terrain covered with
colorful lichens and mosses. Creamy white reindeer
moss (Cladonia rangiferina) feels soft and
moist underfoot. A diversity of lichens and mosses
grow in the reserve with more than 230 species of
each. At least 100 species of mushrooms have been
identified in the zapovednik. Unique plant
communities cling to bare cliffs, with rare species
such as Rhododendron adamsii and Arctous alpina. In
all, there are 800 species of higher plants in the
zapovednik, 27 of these are rare and endangered and
36 species are endemic - found nowhere else but
near Baikal.

Geographical
Features

Baikalo-Lensky Zapovednik is situated on the
northwestern shore of Lake Baikal in the Irkutsk
Oblast. More than 100 km of Baikal's stony
shoreline is protected in the zapovednik, from the
Elokhin River in the North and Kheirem River in the
South. The reserve includes the southern portion of
the Baikal Mountain Range, encompassing the upper
reaches of the Lena River, and its tributaries -
the Tongoda, Kirenga, and the Small and Big Anoi
rivers. The Lena River, which flows more than 4000
km North to the Arctic Ocean, begins in the
mountains near Baikal as a small trickle out of a
string of alpine lakes.

The Baikal Mountain Range was formed by tectonic
processes and glaciation in the late Pleistectonic.
Yuzhno-Kedrovsky and Solnechny Mountains are the
cones of ancient volcanoes. A spectacular 10 km
long gorge called "Rytoye" in the southern portion
of the zapovednik cuts deep into the mountain range
from Lake Baikal.

Lake ecosystems are an intricate part of
Baikalo-Lensky Zapovednik. Alpine lakes support an
abundance of fish and bird life. Down below,
Baikal's water level fluctuates a meter or more,
from dams and hydroelectric stations on the Angara
River, the only outlet from Lake Baikal. Warm
shallow lakes along Baikal's shore fill with water
from waves and flooding. Lake Baikal itself is
relatively warm compared to the frigid waters of
glacial lakes in the mountains.

The climate near Baikal is continental. The
west-facing slopes of the Baikal Range are colder
and wetter than the slopes facing Lake Baikal. The
summers are short and harsh, temperatures can drop
below zero in the mountains. Fierce winds coming
off the mountains pick up with little notice,
blowing anything not attached to the ground into
Baikal's beating waves. July is the warmest month
of the year, where the average temperature in the
mountains is 14 °C. The coldest month of the
year is January, when mountain temperatures average
-24 °C. Since the deep water of Baikal helps
to stabilize the climate near the shore,
temperatures along the coast are slightly warmer.
Baikal freezes over in the winter. Deep snows
engulf the mountain valleys, driving all but the
most rugged creatures further south or to the lower
foothills.

Conservation
Status

Perhaps the biggest problem facing
Baikalo-Lensky Zapovednik - its remoteness - is
also the reason that the territory has been so well
preserved. The zapovednik headquarters, located in
the capital city of Irkutsk, is more than 300 km
South of the reserve itself. Parts of the
zapovednik cannot be reached by road at all, others
can be reached only by ship in the summer, or by
driving along the highway of Baikal's ice in the
winter. On the one hand, this is a positive aspect
in order to deter poachers or other violators. But,
the inaccessibility of the reserve to zapovednik
staff makes management, scientific monitoring, and
nature conservation difficult and expensive. Often
scientists and rangers cannot reach the reserve to
conduct research or routine patrols, because
transportation costs are too high.

Ecological tourism could potentially provide income
to the zapovednik in order to resolve some of its
financial woes. The zapovednik has organized three
routes to take adventurous tourists on expeditions
in the Baikal mountains, where they can experience
the beauty and remote wilderness of Baikal with a
knowledgeable guide. Routes offered include:
rafting down the Lena River; a trip in the
mountains to the source of the Lena River; and an
expedition along the Baikal shore.